Chapter 56
Chapter 56
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 56
Chapter Title: Sixth Escort - Escort Duty, Fate (6)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Sometime in the past, Mok Seon-o had said,
“Won-ah, if you step into the martial world, there will come a day when you must cut down a person.”
The jianghu martial world was a place where one proved oneself with the sword, so inevitably, the blade's tip would pierce human flesh.
This was the inescapable nature of the jianghu.
“That day, who your opponent will be, this master cannot know. It could be a vile demon, or someone forced into evil, or simply a madman.”
“…Then who should I cut down?”
“Do not seek to cut anyone down.”
Young Mok Ri-won did not understand.
He could not comprehend the words Mok Seon-o uttered with a gentle smile.
Of course not.
The words he spoke back then were exceedingly profound.
“You need only swing your sword to prove.”
“Prove what?”
“That you are not evil. That your sword is for righteousness. Swing it to prove that.”
Now, Mok Ri-won felt he finally understood those words.
“Look not at the person, but at your conviction, and swing your sword.”
Thus, he steadied his stance.
Pae Ung-chu lunged forward.
Mok Ri-won, feet planted firmly on the ground, drew his sword.
The inky-black aura sharpened to a razor edge.
And shot forth.
It was the first sword form completed by the Star-Link Sect's founder while gazing upon the Big Dipper.
Seven Stars Extreme Sword.
Kwaaang-!
The inky-black aura pierced Pae Ung-chu's joint.
Blood sprayed.
Pae Ung-chu widened his eyes, then let out a 'Ha!' of laughter.
Mok Ri-won did not stop.
He had only unleashed the first form so far.
Taat-.
With an unshaken stance, he chained the next strike.
Second form, third, fourth, and then fifth through seventh, targeting the lower body.
He unleashed every form in succession, pressing the assault.
But that was not the end.
‘Conviction, what I’ve learned, wield it in the form it must take.’
Mok Ri-won repeated those words to himself.
Ignoring the sensation of his blade digging into flesh, ignoring the spray of blood, he steadied his stance.
‘Wield what I’ve learned in the form it must take.’
Mok Ri-won could see it.
The openings and weaknesses that would kill the man if struck now.
The trajectory of the fist the man unleashed toward him, laced with killing intent.
And his own self, shattering them to grow.
Yet he turned away from them.
Not to kill the opponent, but solely to uphold the righteousness learned through the sword.
With only that in mind, he unleashed his aura.
The inky-black aura condensed.
It wrapped softly around the blade, forming a flowing wave.
Second form, Meteor Sword.
It was a form embodying the shooting star a man—destined to found the Star-Link Sect—had chanced upon one night while training his sword.
A clear swift sword.
The blade plummeting straight from above traced a long inky-black line in the air for an instant.
Seogeuk-.
Pae Ung-chu's clothing was sliced.
A red line etched across the skin beneath.
Mok Ri-won ignored it this time as well.
And flowed into the next form.
- Won-ah, the Star-Link Sect is a sect of heroes. The Star-Link Divine Art is the art of heroes. We infuse our swords not with killing intent, but with romance.
Hwaaak-!
The aura flowing from Mok Ri-won’s body dominated the surroundings.
The third form required mastery to extend aura from the body to distant reaches—a form he could finally use.
-So, Won-ah, when you swing your sword, do not look for vital points. Do not look for killing intent. Simply gaze upon what you wish to achieve with this sword.
Pae Ung-chu’s body stiffened.
He sensed the crisis.
A delighted smile crept across his face.
‘I must not block it.’
This was a form that could not be blocked.
The form about to extend was undoubtedly in the realm of qi arts.
‘Then…!’
He had to counter with qi arts in kind.
Pae Ung-chu’s demonic qi boiled over.
It enveloped his entire body and extended beyond.
Even amid this, Mok Ri-won thrust his sword with a resolute face.
-The founder practiced but one sword form for an entire year. Yet the meaning inscribed in that form shifted with the turning of the heavens’ constellations.
The aura spread wide by Mok Ri-won glimmered faintly.
Pale white points, brighter than their surroundings, floated in places throughout.
-The founder’s journal recorded it thus: ‘The twelve constellations that herald the seasons and hours allowed me to perceive the growth of my sword.’
Stars rose upon the inky-black night sky, shining brightly.
-Won-ah, for the next year from today, you will gaze upon those constellations with this master each night. Etch them into your eyes. So that whenever you recall them, you can remember their shapes precisely.
Mok Ri-won recreated the constellations he had memorized night after night, imprinting them on his retinas.
The sword extended.
It brushed past those particularly radiant points.
Third form, Twelve Branches Sword.
The points brushed by the sword exploded outward.
Kwaaaang-!
A prolonged explosion roared.
Yet even then, Mok Ri-won chained forms without pause.
Pae Ung-chu spread both palms.
He gathered the demonic qi cloaking his body, concentrating it between them.
It was the pinnacle of Pinnacle Realm mastery.
A feat possible only when one’s arts transcended the orthodox, wielding physical force through aura alone.
Qi arts.
Pae Ung-chu flashed a tearing grin as he regarded the white points gaping toward him.
He hurled the spherically gathered qi at them.
Demon Orb Throw.
He compressed his ever-boiling demonic qi into a single point and flung it.
Mok Ri-won’s sword clashed with Pae Ung-chu’s orb.
In that moment, the area was dyed pure white.
*
A barren wasteland where surrounding trees and bushes had all been pulverized.
At its center, Mok Ri-won gasped for breath.
His wretched state was inevitable.
He had unleashed the forms after taking a direct hit, while suppressing the impulses tormenting him.
The burden was double that of normal form execution.
Dust clouded his vision.
Mok Ri-won glared sharply into the haze.
Soon, his view cleared.
“Not bad at all!”
There stood Pae Ung-chu on both feet, laughing.
Pae Ung-chu was far from unscathed.
His chest center was crushed and melted red from the blast, one arm dangling in tatters like a rag.
For Mok Ri-won, it was despairing.
His body could no longer keep up with his will to swing the sword.
Continuing the fight here might make him succumb to instinct.
Kkadeuk-.
Mok Ri-won ground his teeth.
He gripped his trembling arm and readjusted his sword.
Pae Ung-chu watched the entire process with evident delight.
Then he spoke.
“Is that the hero’s sword?”
Mok Ri-won froze.
Pae Ung-chu pressed without further assault.
“Is that the sword suppressing the Heavenly Slaughter Star? Huh? Nothing more to show?”
Even in his poor condition, Pae Ung-chu’s momentum did not wane.
He stepped forward with a joyful air, continuing his questions.
He was truly amused.
“Fun! Such destructive power from a desperate flail unworthy of it! So aggressive, yet devoid of killing intent!”
Mok Ri-won’s sword was the most unique he had ever faced.
A sword that killed without killing intent—what a paradox thrilled Pae Ung-chu to no end.
“Show me more! That can’t be the end! Isn’t that the righteousness you’re so proud of? Didn’t you say those who walk the hard path are heroes!”
Pae Ung-chu’s demonic qi boiled once more.
It surged into his one still-functional arm.
Mok Ri-won squeezed every last drop from his dantian.
Kkwaedeuk-.
A sound like crushed blood vessels rang in Mok Ri-won’s ears.
A sign of internal injury.
‘How….’
How to escape this crisis.
As such thoughts parched his throat,
“Aaaah!”
A scream echoed from not far away.
Pae Ung-chu’s head turned that way.
Mok Ri-won did the same.
But Mok Ri-won’s expression was graver than Pae Ung-chu’s.
‘Escort Gwak!’
The scream was familiar.
It was Gwak Chil’s, the man he had grown close to these past few days.
Something had gone wrong.
As Mok Ri-won overflowed with anxiety, Pae Ung-chu furrowed his brow and clicked his tongue.
“…Tch, what now if they get here so soon.”
Then he quelled his demonic qi.
His next action was shocking.
Kkwaejik-!
He twisted and snapped his already ragged arm completely.
Mok Ri-won’s eyes widened as if tearing.
He could not fathom such behavior.
“…What are you doing?”
When Mok Ri-won asked sharply, Pae Ung-chu replied.
“What else? Letting you go.”
Pae Ung-chu grumbled as if his fun had soured.
He seemed utterly indifferent to the pain of his broken arm.
“Can’t get caught yet. Still so much I haven’t seen.”
With that, Pae Ung-chu drew a signal flare from his belt and fired it.
Then he turned and fled.
In the opposite direction of the scream.
“See you soon, Ink Dragon!”
And he was gone.
Mok Ri-won stared blankly at the spot he vanished.
How much time passed?
“G-Great hero…!”
Gwak Chil arrived at the vacated site.
For someone who had screamed, he appeared remarkably intact.
*
“Boss. A failure?”
“Yes! A failure! The Heavenly Slaughter Star was more tenacious than I thought!”
Back at the mountain stronghold, Pae Ung-chu displayed his tattered arm to his deputy.
The deputy swallowed hard and bowed his head.
“…That strong, was he?”
“Strong! But I was stronger!”
The deputy’s brow furrowed.
Unable to grasp Pae Ung-chu’s meaning.
Pae Ung-chu chuckled.
“If capturing him alive wasn’t the goal, I would’ve won!”
“Ah…!”
Comprehension dawned on the deputy’s face.
Pae Ung-chu brushed past him and entered the stronghold’s least damaged building.
‘Not yet!’
Other thoughts occupied him.
Addicted to demonic qi and pursuing only life-and-death duels, he prioritized his desires over the cult’s orders.
Pae Ung-chu did not want to capture Mok Ri-won just yet.
That final qi art he had glimpsed.
The sword extending alongside it, and the intent dwelling within.
Pae Ung-chu wanted to see it again.
No, not just again—but in a more evolved form.
To that end, capture was impossible.
The Ink Dragon had to grow stronger and complete that bizarre sword.
Pae Ung-chu chuckled darkly and assumed the lotus position.
He closed his eyes and circulated his demonic qi.
‘Fun.’
Exuding utmost delight, he channeled demonic qi through his veins.
As master of the Heavenly Slaughter Star, his growth would be unimaginably swift, so for their next clash, he too must grow stronger.
With such thoughts, Pae Ung-chu challenged the limits of his demonic qi.
Gooo-.
Demonic qi flooded the building.
It spilled out, blanketing the stronghold thickly.
His subordinates sensed the change and bolstered the perimeter guard.
Thus, after one week.
Fist Demon Pae Ung-chu reached the Peak Realm.